City Deal live: Calls coming in for City Deal to abandon plans for busway in 'sensitive' landscapes

Calls are being made for the City Deal to abandon plans for a busway through environmentally "sensitive" areas.

Campaigners and politicians have urged the board to reconsider their preferred options, with callls emerging for them to remove Option 3a from the table as its catchment contains "areas too sensitive to damage in this way"

Yesterday was a busy one! We saw work begin on the very first City Deal project - the A10 cycleway.

City Deal officials say the £550k project, connecting the village of Melbourn to existing cycleways, will bridge a vital gap in an off-road route linking Cambridge to Royston.

It seems a less controversial scheme than some of the others that have been suggested and appears to have the support of businesses and the community. Perhaps this shows that the City Deal, at its best, can work in everyone’s favour?

We're still recovering from the news that City Deal Boss Lewis Herbert has expressed his concern that plans for road closures in the city centre may not be viable.

We've also had Peter Topping, leader of South Cambs District Council saying we need a modern, environmentally conscious transport option.

If you have something to say on the subject, get in touch! Email joshua.thomas@cambridge-news.co.uk or call 01223 434288

Visit www.gccitydeal.co.uk to find out more about the immediate plans and see our own coverage on our dedicated Greater Cambridge City Deal page.

16:50

Helen Bradbury, Coton Parish Councillor, on the busway route -

The City Deal seems oblivious to the value of the city’s green corridors, except as a route through for busways! But a 2-mile stretch of segregated bus lane(s) on the A1303 west of the M11 might add fractionally to total journey time from Cambourne to Cambridge, but avoid damaging the Coton Corridor. Would two minutes really matter to commuters, as long as the journey was reliable? And who thought the best place for an immense Park and Ride would be on the side and crest of Madingley Rise? It is almost exactly the same height as the Gog Magogs; closer to the centre of town and visible for miles around. We wouldn’t tolerate the idea of 40,000 square metres of concrete being poured on top of the Gogs, so why is it different here? People would feel more supportive of City Deal’s plans if they thought double-decker buses were the answer in a gridlocked city with narrow medieval streets. But nobody believes that. So I strongly favour going back to the drawing board and looking at more innovative proposals that involve upgrading the Girton Interchange and installing light rail.

16:47

City resident Rosalind Lund:

I agree with Anne Garvey in today’s News. Cllr Lewis should give the road closures a trial. The pollution in the city and the gridlock are bad news for us all.

16:25

City MP Daniel Zeichner has his say:

I have long criticised the decision to develop Cambourne without good public transport links into Cambridge - the congestion that has ensued was entirely predictable. Therefore I welcome the potential investment in the A428 corridor, but recognise that the options proposed raise some difficult dilemmas. What is key is preserving the unique character of Cambridge while understanding that the status quo is not an option, both for reasons of congestion but also of air quality. There are some immediate options available that do not require the City Deal - the County Council should reverse their foolish, short-term policies on Park and Ride that have seen usage decline, and acres of car-parking left empty each day. Making better use of existing provision must be better than rushing to heavy-engineering solutions.

15:17

Former Cambridge MP, Julian Huppert has voiced his opinion

I have fought hard for Cambridge to secure the £500 million in the City Deal. Everyone knows we need the investment in our area, to tackle the unacceptable levels of congestion. The prize is less time wasted in traffic, a cleaner environment, healthier lifestyles and a better quality of life for all of us. I’ve been deeply disappointed by how badly the City Deal Board have gone about trying to spend this hard-earned money. They seem to forget that Cambridge and its surrounds isn’t just about transport - it’s also a place people live.

15:16

Heidi Allen MP has weighed in

From the very first day this route was proposed, I have voiced my opposition to the City Deal team. I will continue to fight against this scheme as I consider it to be a gross waste of public money. I am determined to find a means of connecting Cambourne and the City in a way that acknowledges environmental concerns, does the job ie actually reaches the City (this route falls short of the City Centre) and crucially offers good value for taxpayers’ money.

15:14

Campaigners, including the Save the West Fields group, as well as MP Heidi Allen, and residents associations in the City, have called for option 3A to be abandoned:

RECOMMENDATIONS We are asking the City Deal Executive Board to do the following six things:

1. Remove Option 3a from the table as its catchment contains areas too sensitive to damage in this way.

2. If buses really are still deemed to be the answer: * Investigate further known routes that deliver marginally slower journey times but at lower environmental cost, including using the A1303 west of the M11. * Locate the new P&R further to the West, adjacent to Scotland Farm, where the environmental and landscape harm will be much reduced. * Try to find ways of reducing buses coming into the City Centre: taking people directly from bus hubs to the main employment sites at Addenbrooke’s and the Science Park.

3. If the City Deal insists on buses, explore a major bus hub on the West Cambridge Site or North West Cambridge site, with major park and cycle facilities to the city centre.

4. Look seriously at more innovative solutions to the city’s transport problems that involve the Girton Interchange and possibly light rail.

5. Find room on the Joint Assembly for a heritage champion, whose brief will be to seek professional advice and heed conservation, landscape and ecological reports.

6. Set out a clear heritage strategy that informs City Deal projects going forward.

14:12

"We will work together on the right solutions"

13:21

City Deal leaders have a 'heavy responsibility' to the city and its residents

The City Deal has been garnering a lot of attention lately, but one Cambridge citizen has written in urging residents to take a step back and appreciate the pressure politicians come under. Anne Garvey, a freelance writer and long-time Cambridge resident, said it was important to work together to find solutions.

"is no space sacred?"

Hmmm - what do you think?

Yesterday, we saw the very first City Deal scheme get underway

The very first Greater Cambridge City Deal scheme got underway today with the start of works on a new A10 cycleway. City Deal officials say the £550k project, connecting the village of Melbourn to existing cycleways, will bridge a vital gap in an off-road route linking Cambridge to Royston.